Document-filing device.



R. H. WHITEHEAD. DOCUMENT FILING DEVICE.

APPLICATION mum nov. 17, 1910.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

JFO WZZZE' CO" WASIIINOTQN. D C.

ROBERT HENRY WHITEHEAD, OF WHITLEY BAY, ENGLAND.

DOCUMENT-FILING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 19111.

Application filed November 17, 1910. Serial No. 592,773.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Ronnn'r HENRY WHITEHEAD, a subject of the King of England, residing at \Vhitley Bay, Northumberland, in England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Document-Filing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to devices for filing papers for example in packets, binding files and the like, and broadly comprises a drawer and easing therefor in which drawer is'located a hinged member or false bottom on which the documents are placed in packets or otherwise, said hinged member being in connection with a back member which during the opening movement of the drawer is acted on by devices on or in the drawer whereby the forward end of the hinged member is upwardly tilted to fully expose the contents and permit same to be easily seen, withdrawn and inserted. A construction of such a drawer and casing is illustrated in the annexed drawings in which- Figure 1 is a. central section through the drawer and casing with the drawer closed. Fig. 2 a plan view with the casing in section. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 1, with the drawer in fully opened position. Fig. l is a section of a suitable form of packet for use with the improved filing drawer and Fig. 5 is a section of Fig. 4 on the line In said drawings a designates the casing, b the drawer front, 0 the sides of the drawer and (Z the bottom thereof.

The particular form of packets shown in the drawings as an example is composed of covers a of strong paper or board in which the loose sheets are placed. The said covers are of uniform Width'to suit the inside of the drawer and the front or the top front edge of each cover is marked to indicate its contents. The covers are provided on the inside of the front or top with a distance piece 9 for keeping the covers a of the packet apart and one side of said covers is provided with an internal pocket p. The packets are placed above each other in the drawer as shown more particularly in Fig. 1.

In the drawer is a false bottom 6 which extends from the front to a certain distance from the back where it is hinged to the bottom 03 of the drawer at the point The back member 9 of the drawer is attached to the member 6 and further joined to said member by side pieces h, said back member being inclined so that its upper edge is about flush with the end of the sides 0. A horizontal cover j of suitable width is fixed to the upper edge of the back member, level with the top of the drawer sides 0, said cover having a lateral projection is at each side thereof. The cover is made of thin wood, cardboard, or the like. A narrow space is left on each side of the drawer between the latter and the casing and the projections 70 extend beyond the sides of the drawer to the inner walls of said casing. At the front said side spaces are filled by strips Z fixed to the casing. The inner edge l of each of said strips Z is curved or inclined forwardly from the top for a certain distance from the front to a short distance therefrom at the bottom as shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 and in full lines in Fig. 3.

When the drawer is being pulled out to the open position, the projections in of the cover 7' come in contact with the inclined or curved edges of the side strips Z on the easing and cause the back member of the drawer to tilt backward, as indicated in Fig. 3, thus raising the front of the hinged member e on which the packets n rest, and exposing the cnds and a small portion of the tops of said packets, the tilting movement being limited by a resting piece at with which the back member 9 engages. lVhen the hinged member is tilted in this position any of the packets can be easily seen, withdrawn or inserted. It will further be seen that the construction described enables the contents of the drawer to be upwardly tilted without jamming against the edge of the casing while a portion of the contents are still within the casing thereby keeping leverage on the casing at a minimum, and bringing the forward ends of the contents packets into the field of vision of the user. The tiltable portion may also stand at any angle to the maximum because the sag of the extended drawer counteracts the inward thrust of the weighted supporting piece a, no action being necessary for the opening, tilting, untilting and shutting of the drawer other than the ordinary pull and push movements needed for a sliding drawer, the untilting being brought about by the weight of the supporting piece and the packets lying thereon as the inward push releases the projections in from the abutments Z. If preferred the pro jections may be on the back 9, also the bottom cl instead of being in one piece as shown in the drawing may consist of a cross piece for carrying the hinge, and another cross piece or its equivalent for supporting the hinged member 6 when the drawer is closed.

Instead of using side strips with curved or inclined edges as above described, I may provide in each side of the case a groove shaped to give the same effect, and in which the projections, etc., slide.

What I claim as my invent-ion and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A filing device comprising a casing, a sliding drawer therein, a tiltable device in the drawer consisting of a supporting memher for the contents and a back member attached thereto which said back member prevents the contents from sliding out of the drawer into the casing and becomes also a supporting member in the operation of tilting, the drawer being adapted to open at first like an ordinary drawer and means being supplied whereby on a further extension of the drawer the contents are tilted in the mouth of the case opening so as to bring into view the front ends of packets forming the contents and indorsements thereon.

2. A filing device comprising a casing, a sliding drawer therein, a device within the drawer consisting of a supporting member for packets and a back member attached thereto and inclined at an angle greater than a right angle, and means for tilting said device on an extension of the drawer whereby said packets will fall until they make contact with the said inclined back member thus causing the front edges of the packets to lie in a plane parallel to the back member and obtusely inclined to the supporting member and bringing the indorsements thereon more directly into the full field of vision.

3. A filing device comprising a casing, a sliding drawer therein, a device within the drawer and tiltable on extension thereof consisting of a supporting piece and a back member attached thereto and inclined at an angle greater than a right angle, the pivot of the supporting piece being at the base of the back member, a forwardly extending cover attached to the back member and extending parallel to said supporting member, said cover being placed at such a height upon said back member that when the drawer is not tilted it lies approximately in fiat con.

fact with the interior upper surface of the casing to afford means for retaining the contents of the drawer.

4. A fillng devlce comprising a casing, a

sliding drawer therein, a device pivoted within the drawer and tiltable on extension thereof, consisting of a supporting piece for the contents and a back member attached thereto at an angle greater than a right angle, a forwardly extending cover-piece attached to the back member, lateral projec tions on said cover-piece, or said back memher, and means within the casing coacting with said lateral project-ions whereby on ex tension of the drawer the back member is depressed and caused to lie obliquely and transversely in the mouth of the casing and the supporting piece is tilted to bring the front edges of the contents into the field of vision.

5. A filingdevice comprising a casing, a sliding drawer therein, a tiltable device within the drawer, consisting of a support ing piece for the contents and a back member attached thereto at an angle greater than a right angle, a forwardly extending cover piece attached to the back member, the tiltable device being hinged to the drawer so that the pivot lies forward of the lateral projections on the cover-piece or back memher, and means within the casing adapted to coact with the cover-piece or back member to depress said back member and cause same to lie obliquely and transversely in the mouth of the casing and to upwardly tilt the forward end of said supporting piece during the latter portion of the opening movement of the drawer.

6. A filing device comprising a casing, a sliding drawer therein, a tiltable device pivoted within the drawer consisting of a supporting piece, a back member attached thereto at an angle greater than a right angle, and a forwardly extending cover piece attached to the back member, projections extending laterally from the said cover or back-member and abut-ments disposed Within the casing between the sides thereof and the drawer, said abutments being so shaped and disposed as to co-act with the said projections at the moment when the pivot of the tiltable portion leaves the casing during the opening movement of the drawer, and a further extension causing said abutments to depress the back member whereby it lies obliquely and transversely in the mouth of the casing, and to upwardly tilt the forward end of the supporting piece to bring the front edges of the contents into the field of vision.

In witness whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT HENRY 'WHITEHEAD.

"Witnesses:

H. NIXON, C. S. GARDNER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington. D. G. 

